US20030141341A1 - Resistance welding fastener electrode - Google Patents
Resistance welding fastener electrode Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20030141341A1 US20030141341A1 US10/360,237 US36023703A US2003141341A1 US 20030141341 A1 US20030141341 A1 US 20030141341A1 US 36023703 A US36023703 A US 36023703A US 2003141341 A1 US2003141341 A1 US 2003141341A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- pin
- fastener
- nut
- electrode
- weld
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K11/00—Resistance welding; Severing by resistance heating
- B23K11/30—Features relating to electrodes
- B23K11/31—Electrode holders and actuating devices therefor
- B23K11/314—Spot welding guns, e.g. mounted on robots
- B23K11/315—Spot welding guns, e.g. mounted on robots with one electrode moving on a linear path
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K11/00—Resistance welding; Severing by resistance heating
- B23K11/24—Electric supply or control circuits therefor
- B23K11/25—Monitoring devices
- B23K11/252—Monitoring devices using digital means
- B23K11/253—Monitoring devices using digital means the measured parameter being a displacement or a position
Definitions
- This invention relates to a weld gun for resistance welding fasteners to a metallic object, and more particularly, this invention relates to a fastener detection sensor.
- Weld gun assemblies are used to resistance weld fasteners to metallic objects such as body panels for vehicles.
- a fastener such as a weld stud or nut are loaded onto one of the electrodes.
- the electrodes are moved together with an actuator placing the fastener into engagement with the panel under pressure. Very high currents are applied to the electrodes, which welds the fastener to the panel.
- the electrode arm will move slightly less than if the fastener is in the proper orientation. In this manner, fastener presence and orientation has been detected.
- the position of the electrode arm does not always correspond to whether the fastener is in the proper orientation. That is, the location of the position sensor cannot detect fastener orientation accurately because of tolerance stack-ups and variations in the fastener.
- the high electrode currents introduce inaccuracies into the position sensor signal. Even with magnetically shielded cables, enough interference from the electrode current is introduced to give false fastener readings. Therefore, what is needed is a sensor that more accurately detects the orientation and presence of a fastener in a weld gun assembly.
- the present invention provides a welding assembly for welding a fastener to an object such as a vehicle body panel.
- the assembly includes a weld gun having first and second electrodes movable relative to one another between an open position and a closed position.
- the first electrode includes a housing assembly.
- a pin is received in the housing assembly and is movable when in said closed position between a desired nut position, and upside down nut position, and a no nut position.
- An optical sensor has a terminal end space from the pin for direction light thereon. The terminal end of the sensor received reflected light from the pin.
- a sensor control system processes the reflected light into a signal corresponding to one of the desired nut, upside down nut, and no nut positions.
- the pin is inserted into an aperture in the panel.
- a fastener is loaded onto the pin and the electrodes are moved toward one another about the panel to the closed position.
- the pin is displaced.
- the amount of reflected light entering the optical sensor changes with the displacement of the pin.
- the light from the sensor is sent to an optical amplifier where it is converted to an analog or digital signal. The signal may then be processed to determine whether the fastener is in a desired, upside down or no fastener position.
- the present invention provides a sensor that more accurately detects the orientation and presence of a fastener in a weld gun assembly.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a weld gun assembly
- FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional exploded view of an electrode and sensor of the present invention
- FIG. 3 is a top-elevational view of a body portion of the electrode from FIG. 2;
- FIG. 4 is a top-elevational view of a sensor mount shown in FIG. 2;
- FIG. 5 depicts the electrodes in a closed position with a nut in a desired orientation
- FIG. 6 depicts the electrodes in a closed position with the nut in an upside down position
- FIG. 7 depicts the electrodes in the closed position with no nut present.
- FIG. 1 is a highly schematic view of a weld gun assembly 10 .
- the weld gun assembly 10 includes a lower stationary arm 12 supporting a lower electrode 13 .
- An upper movable arm 14 is connected to the lower arm 12 .
- the upper arm 14 includes an upper electrode 15 .
- An actuator 16 moves the upper arm 14 from an open position (shown) to a closed position in which the electrodes 13 and 15 are in engagement with an object 18 to be welded, such as a vehicle body panel.
- a fastener such as a weld stud or nut is loaded onto one of the electrodes 13 and 15 and forced into engagement with the object 18 .
- the prior art has detected the presence and orientation of the fastener within the weld gun assembly by detecting the position of the upper arm 14 , typically by utilizing a displacement transducer such as an LVDT.
- the present invention utilizes a position sensor 20 in the lower electrode 13 to detect the position and orientation of the fastener from underneath the object 18 .
- the information from the sensor is sent to a sensor control system 22 , which may include an amplifier 24 and a controller 26 , which processes the signal into information that may be used to trigger a fault.
- the lower electrode 13 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2.
- the electrode 13 includes a housing assembly 30 having a body 32 .
- the body 32 has an end 34 adapted to be received in the lower arm 12 .
- a weld head 36 is attached to the body 32 opposite the end 34 for applying current to the object 18 .
- the housing assembly 30 may further include a shell 38 surrounding the body 32 .
- the body 32 includes a bore 40 (shown in FIG. 3), and the weld head 36 includes an aperture 42 for receiving a pin 44 .
- the body of the pin 44 is housed within the bore 40 and a first end of the pin 46 extends through the aperture 42 .
- the first end 46 is tapered in a manner to receive a fastener such as a nut.
- the geometry of the pin 44 may be modified to receive a weld stud.
- the pin 44 includes a second end 48 opposite the first end 46 which has a flange 48 for preventing the pin 44 from exiting the body 32 .
- a return spring 50 biases the pin 44 toward the upper electrode 15 . Pressurized air through the bore 40 may also be used to bias the pin 44 .
- a sensor mount 52 is arranged within the bore 40 and is fastened to the body 32 .
- the sensor mount 52 includes a bore 54 for receiving and locating the spring 50 , shown in FIG. 4.
- a fiber optic cable 58 preferably 3 millimeters in diameter, is fed into the housing assembly 30 and is received within a hole 56 of the sensor mount 52 .
- a terminal end 60 of the cable 58 is arranged proximate to the second end 48 of the pin 44 .
- the fiber optic cable 58 may be fed into the body through an air passage 62 modified to receive an air fitting 63 . In this manner, the electrode 13 may be modified slightly to receive the sensor 58 of the present invention.
- the terminal end 60 may be arranged to be proximate to another portion of the pin 44 .
- the terminal end 60 may be arranged proximate to another weld gun component that is associated with the movement of the pin 44 . That is, the terminal end 60 does not necessarily have to be proximate to the pin, but the terminal end 60 tracks the movement of the pin 44 .
- the electrodes 13 and 15 are spaced apart from one another in an open position to receive an object 18 to which a fastener is to be welded.
- the pin 44 is arranged in an aperture 64 of the object 18 .
- a fastener such as a nut 66 is placed onto the first end 46 of the pin 44 .
- the fastener 66 includes a weld face 68 that is in engagement with the object 18 .
- the weld face 68 may include a pilot ring 70 locating the nut 66 within the aperture 64 .
- the weld face 68 further includes protrusions 72 that become molten during the welding process to weld the nut 66 to the object 18 .
- a hole 74 in the nut 66 may include features that cooperate with the end 46 to better locate the nut 66 relative to the object 18 .
- the features on the weld face 68 such as the pilot ring 70 and protrusions 72 , are held to very tight tolerances.
- Position measurements are typically taken with the electrodes 13 and 15 closed about the object 18 .
- the force applied to the object 18 during measurement may be less than the weld force and may be taken before and after the weld to validate the process.
- the pin position will more accurately relate to the nut orientation.
- features of the nut 66 such as the thickness of the nut are not tightly toleranced or controlled.
- sensing the orientation of the nut 66 from the upper electrode side such as by sensing the position of the upper arm as in the prior art, may not accurately correspond to nut orientation due to the larger tolerance.
- the fiber optic cable 58 carries light that is directed from the terminal end 60 onto the second end 48 . Light is reflected back from the second end 48 back into the fiber optic cable 58 . The reflected light is received by the optical amplifier 24 and generates an analog and/or digital signal. The signal is sent to a controller 26 which processes the signal to determine the presence and orientation of the nut 66 .
- the sensor 20 is capable of detecting changes in pin distance 44 to as low as 2 microns.
- the electrodes 13 and 15 are moved together about the object 18 and nut 66 to a closed position. Pressure is applied to the nut 66 and the object 18 and a current is applied across the electrodes. Protrusions 72 melt in the presence of the high current and weld the nut 66 to the object 18 .
- FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 respectively depict a nut 66 in a desired position, an upside down nut position, and a no nut position.
- the upper electrode 18 includes a bore 76 for receiving a portion of the pin 44 .
- the nut 66 is shown in a desired position in which the weld face 68 is adjacent to the object 18 .
- the object 18 has a material thickness X.
- the pin 44 is displaced as the electrodes 13 and 15 are closed together. In this position, the pin 44 may be displaced from the sensor 20 by a distance K, which may be 0.1115 inch for a particular nut.
- the sensor control system 22 would be calibrated to indicate a distance K as a correct nut orientation.
- the electrodes 13 and 15 will wear over time the electrode wear, which is predictable, may be compensated for over its life.
- the electrode wear for the present invention is less than the prior art, since the lower electrode wears at about ⁇ fraction (1/10) ⁇ the rate than the upper electrode, which is where prior art measurements have taken place.
- the nut is in an upside down position in which the weld face 68 is spaced from the object. In this position, the nut 66 cannot be welded to the object 18 as the protrusion 72 are not in engagement with the object.
- the pin 44 is received differently within the hole 74 in the nut such that the distance between the pin 44 and the sensor 20 is a distance M, which may be 0.1225 inch for the nut 66 .
- the difference between the desired nut position and the upside down nut position is relatively small distance L, only 0.0110 inch. Accordingly, it is critical that the sensor 22 be able to accurately detect the orientation of the nut.
- an accurate pin position may be detected.
- the pin end 46 may engage a chamber in the hole 76 , as shown in FIG. 2. If the nut is upside-down the side without the chamber will depress the pin 44 more, which make an upside-down nut orientation easier to detect.
- N which may be 0.3489 inch for the nut 66 .
- the present invention may be modified to accommodate the sensor 20 of the present invention.
- the sensor 20 has the advantages of being contained within the electrode 13 where it is protected from the harsh welding environment.
- the sensor 20 is somewhat tolerant to contamination.
- the present invention sensor 20 is discussed in terms of an optical sensor, it is to be understood that more conventional sensors, such as LVDTs may be used to detect pin position, however, optical sensors have the advantages discussed above.
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Abstract
A welding assembly is provided for welding a fastener to an object such as a vehicle body panel. The assembly includes a weld gun having first and second electrodes movable relative to one another between an open position and a closed position. The first electrode includes a housing assembly. A pin is received in the housing assembly and is movable when in said closed position between a desired nut position, and upside down nut position, and a no nut position. An optical sensor has a terminal end space from the pin for direction light thereon. The terminal end of the sensor received reflected light from the pin. A sensor control system processes the reflected light into a signal corresponding to one of the desired nut, upside down nut, and no nut positions.
Description
- This invention relates to a weld gun for resistance welding fasteners to a metallic object, and more particularly, this invention relates to a fastener detection sensor.
- Weld gun assemblies are used to resistance weld fasteners to metallic objects such as body panels for vehicles. A fastener such as a weld stud or nut are loaded onto one of the electrodes. The electrodes are moved together with an actuator placing the fastener into engagement with the panel under pressure. Very high currents are applied to the electrodes, which welds the fastener to the panel.
- The use of weld guns is typically an automated process in which the fasteners are loaded into the weld gun assembly. Occasionally the fastener is not properly loaded into the weld gun or the fastener may not be loaded into the weld gun at all. Under these circumstances, it is important to detect that there is a problem with the fastener so that the fastener can be properly welded to the panel. To this end, sensors have been used in an effort to determine the presence and orientation of the fastener in the weld gun. Typically, a linear variable displacement transducer has been connected to an electrode arm to measure the movement of the arm. If no nut is present the arm will move a greater amount than if a fastener is present and in the proper orientation. If the fastener is not in the proper orientation, then the electrode arm will move slightly less than if the fastener is in the proper orientation. In this manner, fastener presence and orientation has been detected. However, it has been difficult to accurately detect the proper orientation of the fastener for several reasons. First, the position of the electrode arm does not always correspond to whether the fastener is in the proper orientation. That is, the location of the position sensor cannot detect fastener orientation accurately because of tolerance stack-ups and variations in the fastener. Second, the high electrode currents introduce inaccuracies into the position sensor signal. Even with magnetically shielded cables, enough interference from the electrode current is introduced to give false fastener readings. Therefore, what is needed is a sensor that more accurately detects the orientation and presence of a fastener in a weld gun assembly.
- The present invention provides a welding assembly for welding a fastener to an object such as a vehicle body panel. The assembly includes a weld gun having first and second electrodes movable relative to one another between an open position and a closed position.
- The first electrode includes a housing assembly. A pin is received in the housing assembly and is movable when in said closed position between a desired nut position, and upside down nut position, and a no nut position. An optical sensor has a terminal end space from the pin for direction light thereon. The terminal end of the sensor received reflected light from the pin. A sensor control system processes the reflected light into a signal corresponding to one of the desired nut, upside down nut, and no nut positions.
- In operation, the pin is inserted into an aperture in the panel. A fastener is loaded onto the pin and the electrodes are moved toward one another about the panel to the closed position. As the electrodes are moved into engagement with the panel, the pin is displaced. The amount of reflected light entering the optical sensor changes with the displacement of the pin. The light from the sensor is sent to an optical amplifier where it is converted to an analog or digital signal. The signal may then be processed to determine whether the fastener is in a desired, upside down or no fastener position.
- Accordingly, the present invention provides a sensor that more accurately detects the orientation and presence of a fastener in a weld gun assembly.
- Other advantages of the present invention can be understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
- FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a weld gun assembly;
- FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional exploded view of an electrode and sensor of the present invention;
- FIG. 3 is a top-elevational view of a body portion of the electrode from FIG. 2;
- FIG. 4 is a top-elevational view of a sensor mount shown in FIG. 2;
- FIG. 5 depicts the electrodes in a closed position with a nut in a desired orientation;
- FIG. 6 depicts the electrodes in a closed position with the nut in an upside down position; and
- FIG. 7 depicts the electrodes in the closed position with no nut present.
- FIG. 1 is a highly schematic view of a
weld gun assembly 10. Theweld gun assembly 10 includes a lowerstationary arm 12 supporting alower electrode 13. An uppermovable arm 14 is connected to thelower arm 12. Theupper arm 14 includes anupper electrode 15. Anactuator 16 moves theupper arm 14 from an open position (shown) to a closed position in which theelectrodes object 18 to be welded, such as a vehicle body panel. A fastener such as a weld stud or nut is loaded onto one of theelectrodes object 18. The prior art has detected the presence and orientation of the fastener within the weld gun assembly by detecting the position of theupper arm 14, typically by utilizing a displacement transducer such as an LVDT. The present invention utilizes aposition sensor 20 in thelower electrode 13 to detect the position and orientation of the fastener from underneath theobject 18. The information from the sensor is sent to asensor control system 22, which may include anamplifier 24 and acontroller 26, which processes the signal into information that may be used to trigger a fault. - While the arms and electrodes are referred to in terms of “upper” and “lower”, it is to be understood that the
weld gun assembly 10 and its components may be oriented in a manner other than described and remain within the scope of the invention. - The
lower electrode 13 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2. Theelectrode 13 includes ahousing assembly 30 having abody 32. Thebody 32 has anend 34 adapted to be received in thelower arm 12. Aweld head 36 is attached to thebody 32 opposite theend 34 for applying current to theobject 18. Thehousing assembly 30 may further include ashell 38 surrounding thebody 32. Thebody 32 includes a bore 40 (shown in FIG. 3), and theweld head 36 includes anaperture 42 for receiving apin 44. The body of thepin 44 is housed within thebore 40 and a first end of thepin 46 extends through theaperture 42. Thefirst end 46 is tapered in a manner to receive a fastener such as a nut. However, it is to be understood that the geometry of thepin 44 may be modified to receive a weld stud. - The
pin 44 includes asecond end 48 opposite thefirst end 46 which has aflange 48 for preventing thepin 44 from exiting thebody 32. Areturn spring 50 biases thepin 44 toward theupper electrode 15. Pressurized air through thebore 40 may also be used to bias thepin 44. - A
sensor mount 52 is arranged within thebore 40 and is fastened to thebody 32. Thesensor mount 52 includes abore 54 for receiving and locating thespring 50, shown in FIG. 4. Afiber optic cable 58, preferably 3 millimeters in diameter, is fed into thehousing assembly 30 and is received within ahole 56 of thesensor mount 52. Aterminal end 60 of thecable 58 is arranged proximate to thesecond end 48 of thepin 44. Thefiber optic cable 58 may be fed into the body through anair passage 62 modified to receive anair fitting 63. In this manner, theelectrode 13 may be modified slightly to receive thesensor 58 of the present invention. However, it is to be understood that theterminal end 60 may be arranged to be proximate to another portion of thepin 44. Alternatively, theterminal end 60 may be arranged proximate to another weld gun component that is associated with the movement of thepin 44. That is, theterminal end 60 does not necessarily have to be proximate to the pin, but theterminal end 60 tracks the movement of thepin 44. - In operation, the
electrodes object 18 to which a fastener is to be welded. Thepin 44 is arranged in anaperture 64 of theobject 18. A fastener such as anut 66 is placed onto thefirst end 46 of thepin 44. Thefastener 66 includes aweld face 68 that is in engagement with theobject 18. The weld face 68 may include apilot ring 70 locating thenut 66 within theaperture 64. The weld face 68 further includesprotrusions 72 that become molten during the welding process to weld thenut 66 to theobject 18. Ahole 74 in thenut 66 may include features that cooperate with theend 46 to better locate thenut 66 relative to theobject 18. The features on theweld face 68, such as thepilot ring 70 andprotrusions 72, are held to very tight tolerances. Position measurements are typically taken with theelectrodes object 18. The force applied to theobject 18 during measurement may be less than the weld force and may be taken before and after the weld to validate the process. By measuring the position of thepin 44, which is in engagement with the weld face side of thenut 66, the pin position will more accurately relate to the nut orientation. Said another way, features of thenut 66 such as the thickness of the nut are not tightly toleranced or controlled. As a result, sensing the orientation of thenut 66 from the upper electrode side, such as by sensing the position of the upper arm as in the prior art, may not accurately correspond to nut orientation due to the larger tolerance. - The
fiber optic cable 58 carries light that is directed from theterminal end 60 onto thesecond end 48. Light is reflected back from thesecond end 48 back into thefiber optic cable 58. The reflected light is received by theoptical amplifier 24 and generates an analog and/or digital signal. The signal is sent to acontroller 26 which processes the signal to determine the presence and orientation of thenut 66. Thesensor 20 is capable of detecting changes inpin distance 44 to as low as 2 microns. Theelectrodes object 18 andnut 66 to a closed position. Pressure is applied to thenut 66 and theobject 18 and a current is applied across the electrodes.Protrusions 72 melt in the presence of the high current and weld thenut 66 to theobject 18. - FIGS. 5, 6, and7 respectively depict a
nut 66 in a desired position, an upside down nut position, and a no nut position. Theupper electrode 18 includes abore 76 for receiving a portion of thepin 44. Referring to FIG. 5, thenut 66 is shown in a desired position in which the weld face 68 is adjacent to theobject 18. Theobject 18 has a material thickness X. Thepin 44 is displaced as theelectrodes pin 44 may be displaced from thesensor 20 by a distance K, which may be 0.1115 inch for a particular nut. Thesensor control system 22 would be calibrated to indicate a distance K as a correct nut orientation. Furthermore, while it is appreciated that theelectrodes - Referring to FIG. 6, the nut is in an upside down position in which the weld face68 is spaced from the object. In this position, the
nut 66 cannot be welded to theobject 18 as theprotrusion 72 are not in engagement with the object. In the upside down nut position, thepin 44 is received differently within thehole 74 in the nut such that the distance between thepin 44 and thesensor 20 is a distance M, which may be 0.1225 inch for thenut 66. As can be appreciated, the difference between the desired nut position and the upside down nut position is relatively small distance L, only 0.0110 inch. Accordingly, it is critical that thesensor 22 be able to accurately detect the orientation of the nut. By utilizing fiber optics, which is impervious to magnetic field interference generated by the weld gun current, an accurate pin position may be detected. Moreover, since the pin engages thenut 66 from the underside of the nut near theobject 18, variations in nut thickness will not impact the accuracy of the sensor. Thepin end 46 may engage a chamber in thehole 76, as shown in FIG. 2. If the nut is upside-down the side without the chamber will depress thepin 44 more, which make an upside-down nut orientation easier to detect. - Referring to FIG. 7, a no nut position is shown. The
pin 44 is spaced from the sensor 20 a distance of N, which may be 0.3489 inch for thenut 66. - Presently, available
lower electrodes 13 may be modified to accommodate thesensor 20 of the present invention. Thesensor 20 has the advantages of being contained within theelectrode 13 where it is protected from the harsh welding environment. Thesensor 20 is somewhat tolerant to contamination. Although thepresent invention sensor 20 is discussed in terms of an optical sensor, it is to be understood that more conventional sensors, such as LVDTs may be used to detect pin position, however, optical sensors have the advantages discussed above. - The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology that has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Claims (16)
1. A welding assembly for welding a fastener to an object, the assembly comprising:
a weld gun having first and second electrodes movable relative to one another between an open position and a closed position, said first electrode including a housing assembly;
a pin received in said housing assembly and movable in said closed position between a desired fastener position, an upside down fastener position, and a no fastener position;
an optical sensor having a terminal end spaced from said pin directing light thereon, said terminal end receiving reflected light from said pin; and
a sensor control system processing said reflected light into a signal corresponding to one of said desired fastener, upside down fastener, and no fastener positions.
2. The welding assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said pin includes a first end adapted to receive the fastener for welding the metallic object, and a second end opposite said first end with said optical sensor terminal end proximate said second end.
3. The welding assembly according to claim 1 , including a spring biasing said pin toward said second electrode.
4. The welding assembly according to claim 3 , wherein said optical sensor terminal end is disposed within said spring proximate to an end of said pin.
5. The welding assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said first electrode is a stationary lower electrode with an actuator moving said second electrode toward said first electrode to said closed position.
6. An electrode for a resistance welding assembly comprising:
a housing assembly having an end adapted to be received in a weld gun;
a weld head supported on said housing assembly opposite said end with an aperture extending through said weld head;
a pin received in said housing assembly with a portion extending through said aperture adapted to receive a fastener, with said pin movable between a desired fastener position, an upside down fastener position, and a no fastener position; and
an optical sensor arranged in said housing having a terminal end spaced from said pin directing light thereon, said terminal end receiving reflected light from said pin corresponding to one of said desired fastener, upside down fastener, and no fastener positions.
7. The electrode according to claim 6 , wherein said housing assembly includes a body including said end with a bore in said body having said pin at least partially disposed therein with said weld head removably secured to said body.
8. The electrode according to claim 7 , including a sensor mount supporting said optical sensor and arranged within said bore and secured to said body.
9. The electrode according to claim 8 , wherein said pin includes a first end adapted to receive the fastener for welding the metallic object, and a second end opposite said first end with said optical sensor terminal end proximate said second end
10. The electrode according to claim 9 , including a spring arranged between said pin end and said sensor mount biasing said pin end toward said weld head.
11. A method of resistance welding a fastener comprising the steps of:
a) loading a fastener onto a pin;
b) closing opposing weld gun electrodes about the object;
c) displacing the pin; and
d) measuring a weld gun component associated with movement of the pin.
12. The method according to claim 11 , including directing light onto the weld gun component associated with movement of the pin and measuring reflected light from the component to determine pin displacement.
13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the weld gun component is the pin.
14. The method according to claim 11 , preceding step a) including the step of inserting the pin into an aperture in the object.
15. The method according to claim 11 , including the step of indicating one of a desired nut position, upside down nut position, and no nut position for the pin displacement.
16. The method according to claim 15 , including the step of generating a weld gun fault for the upside down nut and no nut positions.
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US10/360,237 US6906279B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2003-02-06 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
US11/001,505 US7564005B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2004-12-01 | Resistance welding fastener electrode and monitor and method of using same |
US11/140,682 US7282664B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2005-05-31 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US09/902,378 US6576859B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2001-07-10 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
US10/360,237 US6906279B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2003-02-06 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
Related Parent Applications (1)
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US09/902,378 Continuation US6576859B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2001-07-10 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
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US11/001,505 Continuation-In-Part US7564005B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2004-12-01 | Resistance welding fastener electrode and monitor and method of using same |
US11/140,682 Continuation US7282664B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2005-05-31 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
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US20030141341A1 true US20030141341A1 (en) | 2003-07-31 |
US6906279B2 US6906279B2 (en) | 2005-06-14 |
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US09/902,378 Expired - Lifetime US6576859B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2001-07-10 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
US10/360,237 Expired - Lifetime US6906279B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2003-02-06 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
US11/140,682 Expired - Lifetime US7282664B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2005-05-31 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
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US09/902,378 Expired - Lifetime US6576859B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2001-07-10 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
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US11/140,682 Expired - Lifetime US7282664B2 (en) | 2001-07-10 | 2005-05-31 | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
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US (3) | US6576859B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1404480A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4398239B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN100436026C (en) |
CA (2) | CA2761259C (en) |
EA (1) | EA005870B1 (en) |
MX (1) | MXPA03011671A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2003006199A1 (en) |
ZA (1) | ZA200309259B (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP1582284A1 (en) * | 2004-03-30 | 2005-10-05 | Hiraoka Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Method for resistance welding a first metal part to a second metal by melting projections |
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CN1262385C (en) * | 2000-12-13 | 2006-07-05 | 株式会社Smk | Device for welding nut or the like |
US7564005B2 (en) * | 2001-07-10 | 2009-07-21 | Doben Limited | Resistance welding fastener electrode and monitor and method of using same |
US6576859B2 (en) * | 2001-07-10 | 2003-06-10 | Doben Limited | Resistance welding fastener electrode |
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US8294064B1 (en) | 2010-03-18 | 2012-10-23 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Floating electrode assembly and automated system and method for welding projection weld nuts |
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EP2905103B1 (en) | 2014-02-07 | 2017-01-25 | Volvo Car Corporation | Electrode arrangement for welding a nut welding assembly with monitoring of purge air supply |
EP3164241A4 (en) * | 2014-07-02 | 2018-04-11 | Doben Limited | System and method with floating welder for high rate production welding |
CA2904933C (en) | 2014-09-18 | 2016-09-13 | Doben Limited | Welder with indirect sensing of weld fastener position |
US9789562B1 (en) | 2015-09-28 | 2017-10-17 | Nbn Innovations, Llc. | Position sensing a location pin in a welding electrode |
US9914181B1 (en) | 2015-09-28 | 2018-03-13 | Nbn Innovations, Llc. | Position sensing a location pin in a welding electrode |
US20210205914A1 (en) * | 2020-01-03 | 2021-07-08 | Tec-Option, Inc. | Floating electrode welding |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
MXPA03011671A (en) | 2004-12-06 |
CA2761259C (en) | 2015-10-06 |
EA200301312A1 (en) | 2004-06-24 |
EA005870B1 (en) | 2005-06-30 |
US6906279B2 (en) | 2005-06-14 |
US7282664B2 (en) | 2007-10-16 |
CA2449737A1 (en) | 2003-01-23 |
JP2004533935A (en) | 2004-11-11 |
US6576859B2 (en) | 2003-06-10 |
CA2761259A1 (en) | 2003-01-23 |
WO2003006199A1 (en) | 2003-01-23 |
EP1404480A1 (en) | 2004-04-07 |
CN1578712A (en) | 2005-02-09 |
CN100436026C (en) | 2008-11-26 |
ZA200309259B (en) | 2005-01-03 |
CA2449737C (en) | 2012-02-21 |
JP4398239B2 (en) | 2010-01-13 |
US20050224468A1 (en) | 2005-10-13 |
US20030010758A1 (en) | 2003-01-16 |
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